CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — While most people are familiar with driver's education, a local business is making waves with a different kind of safety training – boater's education for kids.
Baywatch Tours is offering comprehensive boating lessons for children as young as 10 years old, going beyond the state's basic requirements to provide real-world experience on the water.
In Texas, anyone operating a boat must complete six hours of online classes. However, Baywatch Tours takes education a step further by offering hands-on instruction that gives young boaters practical experience they can't get from online courses alone.
"We want to make sure kids have experience on the boat," said Captain David Ramcharan. "So, in addition to covering the regulations and everything required by Texas Parks and Wildlife, we want to get them on the boat, make sure they understand the safety on the boat, take them out, have them actually navigate with the boat."
Photojournalist Joe Escobedo got a firsthand look at the program.
The comprehensive program teaches students much more than basic boat navigation. Participants learn how to read GPS systems, understand boating right-of-way rules, and handle emergency situations including man overboard scenarios.
While children as young as 10 can participate in the boating lessons, Texas law requires students to be at least 13 years old to obtain a boat operator's certificate.
Baywatch Tours will launch their first hands-on classes at Marker 37 on October 25 and 26.
For the latest local news updates, click here, or download the KRIS 6 News App.
Catch all the KRIS 6 News stories and more on our YouTube page. Subscribe today!
